NDA’s Poonjar candidate PC George, known for his repeated controversial remarks, has once again drawn attention for his use of offensive language in public — this time targeting the Catholic Church and sections of the clergy.
Speaking to the media on April 10, George alleged that the Kanjirappally Bishop had instructed convents to support the UDF, and accused Church authorities of backing the opposition. “As of now, I am the only one useful for the Church. Shameless people,” he said.
George also referred to the debates over the proposed amendment to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) ahead of the Assembly elections, questioning why Church institutions could not “show accounts of foreign funds.” “The law will come,” George said. “Why are they barking (about FCRA)? This barking is for UDF. This is their rotten politics. Deepika did not publish my name or picture because it is run by bastards,” he said. Deepika is a Church-run daily.
The FCRA regulates the receipt and use of foreign funds by individuals, associations, and organisations in India, and proposed changes to the law have sparked concern among several Christian groups and civil society organisations.
Shone George, BJP state vice-president and son of PC George, also joined the attack, criticising sections of the clergy for raising concerns over the amendment. Both leaders, who had contested from Pala and Poonjar constituencies respectively, accused Church-backed platforms of politicising the issue. He further alleged that Deepika daily works against the BJP. In what was seen by many as a warning, he added, “If the Church’s stand is against BJP, then the party will take the same stand.”
The remarks drew an indirect but sharp response from Deepika in its editorial published on April 11. “Whether the threat is from war-mongering Donald Trump or from communal agents acting as local political enforcers in Kerala, do not forget,” the editorial said, in an apparent reference to George.
The editorial invoked a 1943 Time magazine account of an exchange involving Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill, where Stalin dismissed moral authority by questioning the Pope’s military strength. It used the episode to argue that authoritarian forces, across ideologies and eras, tend to suppress dissent and rely on intimidation rather than accountability.
“Pope Leo did not stand up only for Christians; he stood up so that everyone could live in peace, for the very survival of humanity. That has relevance in Kerala as well. Even as there are examples of laws claimed to be for everyone but used to target minorities, any political opportunist who threatens people into silence over the FCRA will be met with the same stance. It must be said again and again: politics should not be hijacked by corrupt forces,” it stated.
This is not the first time PC George has targeted the Church. On April 1, following criticism from the Syro-Malabar Church over the FCRA amendment, he had accused some bishops of overstepping their domain and making politically motivated statements. He had also alleged that certain Church leaders believed the Congress should return to power and dismissed their concerns as irrelevant to the Christian community.
He further courted controversy by claiming that Christians constitute only a small percentage of the population and suggesting that their position in the country was due to the BJP’s “generosity,” remarks that drew criticism from multiple quarters.